Eli wrote:
I don't think health is the main issue in the secondary, although injuries certainly won't help.

At cornerback, Winfield is 102 years old, and may only play part time covering the slot receiver. Chris Cook shows talent, but hasn't put together anything even close to a full season. Josh Robinson is something of a crap shoot, and if he starts opposite Cook, would put two rookies in the secondary.

At safety, Harrison Smith is a rookie and totally untested in the NFL. The second starting safety position will bring back one of the bumblies from last year, probably Jamarca Sanford, unless rookie Robert Blanton is a very fast learner and can make the transition from cornerback to safety sometime this season. Which would put three rookies in the secondary.

I think Mistral Raymond is gonna start opposite of Smith he flashed a little last year.

Winfield should still have enough in the tank to play a bit more than nickel. He also might come back and start, I wouldn't put it past him. Carr is not a rookie, so can he rekindle some of what he flashed in Baltimore? Cook has something to prove, last year before he fell into his legal mess he was showing the ability to cover guys like Calvin Johnson.

If you put two guys out there who can cover, and you known Cook can play coverage, then you are going to decrease the growing pains at safety. Also, last time I checked our DL is pretty good at rushing the passer.

I think this unit has the potential to be VERY good. We won't know until September, but I'm excited about it.

Winning is not a sometime thing it is an all of the time thing - Vince Lombardi

As Pelissero wrote, the rough times are far from over. Anybody expecting Ponder to look like a polished, finished product at QB this year is probably not being realistic. As fans, we're just going to have to be patient and hope that by the end of the season, Ponder has shown us that he is improving, learning, and on the right track to become the QB the Vikes need him to be in the long term.

Mothman wrote:As Pelissero wrote, the rough times are far from over. Anybody expecting Ponder to look like a polished, finished product at QB this year is probably not being realistic. As fans, we're just going to have to be patient and hope that by the end of the season, Ponder has shown us that he is improving, learning, and on the right track to become the QB the Vikes need him to be in the long term.

Equally important is the gradual build of the entire offense, in my view. I keep thinking of Denny Green's "QB friendly offense." Green didn't have everything right, but he did understand the need to insulate the QB with surrounding talent. It appears as if Spielman is trying to do the same thing by improving the entire offensive machine around Ponder.

losperros wrote:
Equally important is the gradual build of the entire offense, in my view. I keep thinking of Denny Green's "QB friendly offense." Green didn't have everything right, but he did understand the need to insulate the QB with surrounding talent. It appears as if Spielman is trying to do the same thing by improving the entire offensive machine around Ponder.

Agreed... and that's yet another reason to be patient. Building that offensive machine will take time.

By the way, I wish your avatar would stop staring at me. It's giving me the creeps!

losperros wrote:
Equally important is the gradual build of the entire offense, in my view. I keep thinking of Denny Green's "QB friendly offense." Green didn't have everything right, but he did understand the need to insulate the QB with surrounding talent. It appears as if Spielman is trying to do the same thing by improving the entire offensive machine around Ponder.

Green also understood the value of having a vet at QB. Part of his success came because he kept on plugging in guys in Moon, Brad Johnson, Cunningham, McMahon, etc, to run his offense. None of those guys were standouts when they arrived in Minnesota, but every one of them knew how to win with the right tools and Green's offenses provided the right tools.

The key for Ponder is going to be the mistakes side of the equation. And for me, more specifically, I'll be watching what Ponder does when things break down and he has to move. Is he moving to create more opportunities to look down the field, or is he taking off and taking the resulting abuse from defensive players who are more than happy to tee off on him? I think that is going to say a lot about his future in the NFL. The great QB's are invariably wired to throw the ball and will take off very rarely even with pressure on them, while the TJacks of the NFL are more than content to turn the QB position into a running position at the first sign of trouble. And those guys almost always end up getting shut down because once they put that tendency on tape defensive coordinators can gameplan to shut it down.

VikingLord wrote:The key for Ponder is going to be the mistakes side of the equation. And for me, more specifically, I'll be watching what Ponder does when things break down and he has to move. Is he moving to create more opportunities to look down the field, or is he taking off and taking the resulting abuse from defensive players who are more than happy to tee off on him? I think that is going to say a lot about his future in the NFL. The great QB's are invariably wired to throw the ball and will take off very rarely even with pressure on them, while the TJacks of the NFL are more than content to turn the QB position into a running position at the first sign of trouble. And those guys almost always end up getting shut down because once they put that tendency on tape defensive coordinators can gameplan to shut it down.

I know what you mean and QBs should definitely look to pass before running (and sometimes even while running) but I wouldn't say great QBs are invariably wired to throw the ball and take off very rarely. That describes a certain type of great QB but not all of them. Tarkenton spent a lot of time running. Steve Young and John Elway were great and they took off and made big plays running with the ball all the time. Aaron Rodgers has 124 carries for 7 TDs and over 600 yards in the past two years so he's been more than willing to run.

I definitely think Ponder has to run smart and avoid taking unnecessary hits but he has the athleticism to make plays with his legs and as Rodgers has been showing, there's nothing wrong with making that choice as long as it's not done recklessly.